Penguin Phenom Shines

By Heath Bloxton
An 18-year-old kid named Sidney Crosby has given Pittsburgh Penguin fans a reason to be optimistic. Despite another losing season by the Pens, Crosby has emerged into a rookie sensation for the young club.

Coming into the season, Crosby was expected to do well because he was the first pick for the Penguins in the draft. However, he has exceeded those expectations by compiling one of the greatest seasons by arookie in the history of the franchise. Crosby has seemed to fit right in with the top players in the league. He is a scoring machine from the center position and plays very aggressive defense.

Crosby probably will not win the rookie scoring title this year because another great rookie, Alexander Ovechkin, has matched him step-for-step. Ovechkin is two years older than Crosby is and has taken almost 130 more shots than the Pittsburgh rookie has.

While Penguin fans say goodbye to the retired Mario Lemieux, they have adopted a new star that will have plenty of time to evolve into another hockey great.